Misunderstood Kisses
by Love the Omni
Summary: Katsuki thought he had been very clear in confessing his feelings to Izuku when they were children, but for some reason Izuku kept rejecting him. It takes them both years to realize that it was all just a misunderstanding.
1. Katsuki

**Misunderstood Kisses**

Summary: Katsuki thought he had been very clear in confessing his feelings to Izuku when they were children, but for some reason Izuku kept rejecting him. It takes them both years to realize that it was all just a misunderstanding.

This is my first BNHA fic so please be kind. I also haven't written any fanfiction in 3 years so I'm a little rusty. I wanted to stick to the canon storyline at first so that I can practice writing each of their characters and practice writing both of their unique voices. Please give me constructive criticism and/or praise if you can. I would appreciate it! I'm working on even more!

* * *

**Chapter 1: Katsuki**

"Never fear! _I_ am here!"

Bakugou Katsuki's eyes widened in childish wonder as All Might appeared on the TV screen. His favorite hero of all time arrived just as all hope was lost, just like he always did.

Without wasting time, All Might scooped up a woman in distress and carried her as he bounded away from the destruction raining down all around him.

The woman who had been screaming just moments before looked up at her hero in tears. "All Might, my love! You came to save me after all!"

"Of course, my dear!" All Might shouted, holding her close. "I would never let anything bad happen to you."

Once they made it to safety, he set her down on the ground carefully. They both lingered in each other's embrace a little too long before they parted and finally looked out over the horizon. The town was destroyed, but the evil had been defeated.

"I can't believe it's really over," the woman said in awe. "What will we do now?"

All Might smiled wide. "That's easy. There's only one thing I want now that this is all over." He slowly got down on one knee in front of her and took out a ring. "Marry me," he said softly.

Katsuki looked quickly between the woman and All Might, his eyes furrowed in rapt attention. He had not expected this development.

"You are the only woman for me," All Might continued in his booming, heroic voice. "You're my best friend, and I want to spend the rest of my life protecting you. Please be my wife."

"Oh, _All Might_," the woman exclaimed, her hand falling back against her forehead dramatically as she struggled to catch her breath. "You are my hero, and I would be honored to call you my husband!" All Might stood up and grabbed her, dipping her into a kiss. The screen faded black.

Katsuki bounced in his chair. "That was _so good_!" he yelled. "I want to watch All Might's new movie again! Again!" Katsuki's dad chuckled. "Alright, alright, champ. Calm down."

Katsuki stood up and jumped on his chair in excitement. "Yay!" he screeched.

"Sit back down!" His mother spat back at him. "Who the hell taught you manners like that? Why can't you be more like your friend, Midoriya? I swear I wish I could exchange him for you sometimes!"

"No, you don't!" Katsuki yelled right back, blowing a raspberry at his mother. They both laughed, and she ruffled his hair playfully.

At the mention of his friend, Midoriya Izuku, Katsuki grinned even wider. He couldn't wait to ask him about what he'd thought of the movie. Katsuki loved it, but he wasn't sure about what he thought of the romantic part at the end. How gross. Why would All Might care about such a powerless woman?

"_You are the only woman for me. You're my best friend, and I want to spend the rest of my life protecting you. Please be my wife."_

Katsuki wrinkled his nose in disgust. He wanted to be a hero just like All Might one day, but he didn't want to marry some helpless girl. He tried to think of what his life would be like when he grew up and became the best hero in the world. He imagined who he would marry: someone who was his best friend, someone who he wanted to protect, someone who would be the perfect wife.

Something clicked in his brain. There had only ever been one person in his life who fit that description.

* * *

The next day, at school, Katsuki didn't even need to seek out Izuku to break the news of their inevitable betrothal to him. His green-haired best friend followed him wherever he went, so as soon as the bell rang for recess and they were allowed out of their seats, Izuku ran over to Katsuki with a brilliant smile on his face.

"Did you see the movie, Kacchan? Wasn't All Might so cool?" Izuku asked, excitedly.

"_So_ cool!" Katsuki agreed, not able to hide his own excitement. "But not as cool as _I'm_ going to be when I grow up, of course!" He never failed to miss an opportunity to brag about how awesome he was. He was going to be just like All Might someday, and when that happened, Izuku would look at him with that same awed expression he always had when he talked about All Might. Katsuki was going to be the _best _husband.

"You're gonna be a great hero when you're a grown-up, Kacchan," Izuku said happily. "Your quirk is so cool. I hope I get mine soon too. Then we can both be heroes together!"

Katsuki sneered at the idea. "The doctor said you'd never get a quirk, so give it up! Even if you do, you'll never have one as good as _mine _anyway," he insisted. He pictured his Deku as a proper hero, not some useless person that needed to be saved all the time like the lady in the movie. Katsuki had to admit that he liked the idea of having a "wife" who was a hero too, fighting alongside him, looking up to him. However, the doctors had been clear. It didn't look like Izuku was ever going to get a quirk.

Either way, the idea of Izuku being his wife made his heart skip and filled him with warmth. He wanted to be Izuku's hero more than anything.

"Kacchan, you're so mean," Izuku pouted. "I want to be as good as All Might too!"

"You can't!" Katsuki grumbled. "_I'm_ gonna be number one. There can't be two number ones." He tried to remember the speech he had prepared, figuring this moment was as good as any to tell Izuku about his feelings. "Deku," he declared, already proud of himself for his grand proposal, "you're better off being my wife. You're weak. But I like you, so I will protect you! Marry me!"

To his own ears, he sounded just as romantic as All Might. He half-expected Izuku to swoon.

Instead, Izuku burst out crying.

"Stop being stupid, Kacchan," he wailed. "I'm not weak. I'm gonna be just like All Might one day, you'll see. I don't need you protecting me!" Katsuki felt the words hit him like a slap to the face.

"You saying you're too good to be my wife? Haaa?" Small explosions erupted from his hands as he squeezed them into angry fists. He was furious. His hopes of them being together forever and being married as grown-ups had felt so inevitable. The more he thought about it, the more he realized how right he was. Why was Izuku being annoying by rejecting him like that? Didn't he see that they belonged together? "I hate you!" Katsuki shouted when Izuku did nothing to answer him but cry, pushing his best friend down onto the floor.

Their teacher noticed and rushed from across the room to split them up. "Bakugou, quit picking on Midoriya!" she exclaimed, picking up the sobbing Izuku and holding him close to comfort him. That only pissed off Katsuki even more. This wasn't _his _fault. _Izuku _was the one who had broken his heart.

What was so wrong with being his wife? The girl in the movie liked when All Might suggested it, so why didn't Izuku? Izuku would only be so lucky to be married to him! Katsuki had spent his whole life being told that he was the best. He never thought that he would be rejected by the one person who followed him around all the time, the one person who actually mattered.

Katsuki realized with a soft pang in his chest that maybe Izuku didn't follow him around all the time because he liked him. He probably just hung out with him because he looked down on him. Katsuki gritted his teeth together and held back tears of his own.

They stopped being friends after that, and despite Izuku's feeble attempts to repair their friendship, they barely talked for the rest of elementary school.

* * *

As much as Katsuki tried to ignore it, Izuku's presence in class continued to bother him to no end. It was already their last year of middle school, and Katsuki still found himself fixated on the quirkless, green-haired nerd who used to be his friend. He blamed his obsession on Izuku's habit of muttering to himself. It was hard to ignore someone when they never shut up. Katsuki's friends made fun of Izuku, and sometimes he liked to join in, but for the most part he just wished that he could forget him and he tried to ignore him. He was looking forward to getting into UA, the best high school for heroes-in-training, partly so that he could finally be rid of this stupid crush once and for all.

Lost deep in thought, Katsuki finally headed toward his shoe locker for the day. He had stayed at school a little late in order to prepare for the UA entrance exams, and the sun was already beginning to set, tinting the empty hallways orange. He yawned and wondered what his dad had made for dinner.

It was quiet except for the sound of his feet against the wooden floor.

And then, suddenly, he heard a familiar voice shout "get away from him!" and the sound of someone being slammed against the lockers.

"What the _fuck_?" Katsuki yelled, spinning around to see Izuku pinning some random extra against the lockers. Katsuki didn't want to admit that he was impressed. Izuku definitely wasn't known for being brave or strong, so he had no idea what had gotten into him. "What are _you_ doing here, Deku?"

"I overheard Sakai bragging to his friends that he was going to get the jump on you after school. I tried to warn you earlier, but you wouldn't listen!" Izuku said, trying to keep the guy restrained.

Katsuki wracked his brain to remember Izuku ever saying that, but he never paid attention to anything the nerd ever said. "Who the hell is Sakai?"

"Are you _serious_? We've been in the same class for two years!" shouted the guy who was apparently named Sakai. He turned his head to look at Izuku. "Why the hell are you defending him? _You_ of all people should know that this guy is an asshole!"

"You don't know Kacchan very well if you say that," Izuku insisted. Katsuki refused to acknowledge the small jump in his stomach.

"This piece of shit stole my girlfriend!" the guy replied, struggling in Izuku's grasp and finally breaking himself free.

Katsuki blinked a few times in confusion. "Haaa? What are you talking about? I've never stolen any girl."

"Morishima Kaori? My girlfriend! She told me she was leaving me for you!" He was growing angrier as he spoke.

"Who?" Katsuki laughed. "Never heard of her!" Katsuki was very aware by now that he was gay. The idea of him stealing someone else's girlfriend was so off the mark that it was hilarious to him that anyone would accuse him of such a thing.

"If Kacchan says that he doesn't know her, then he doesn't know her! It's not his fault that girls like him," Izuku said.

"Shut _up_, Deku!" Katsuki wanted to punch something. He never wanted to hear Izuku talking about how much girls liked him ever again.

"Are you in on it too then, huh? Did you help him steal her from me?" Sakai was starting to shake with anger. He swung his fist at Izuku's face, but Katsuki stopped it easily and twisted Sakai's arm back behind him, shoving him face-first into the lockers.

"Neither one of us gives a flying fuck about your shitty girlfriend, okay?" Katsuki growled into his ear. "If she likes me, then that's on her, and that sounds like _your_ problem, not ours. Are we clear?"

Sakai didn't say anything, still intent on struggling in Katsuki's grasp.

"Are we _clear_?" Katsuki shouted again.

"… yes."

Katsuki let him go, kicking him in the ass to shove him away. "Good. Now beat it and leave us alone!"

Sakai ran away, not even stopping to switch out of his indoor shoes as he left.

Izuku beamed. "Wow! Thank you for saving me from that punch, Kacch-"

"What the fuck was that?" Katsuki grumbled, whirling around to glare at Izuku. "Why do you think that any of this is your business?" Katsuki hated the idea of being indebted to Izuku. He hated that Izuku always seemed to have a heart too big for him to handle, always helping and trying to save people even when there was no chance of him actually doing any good.

Izuku had the nerve to face him without backing down. "You didn't listen to me when I tried to warn you before, so I had to-"

"Had to _what_? You thought I was a maiden in need of defending?" Katsuki clenched his fists, wishing that he could just make Izuku explode and remove him from his life permanently.

"No, you asshole. I thought that you might want a friend on your side to help warn you when someone's not playing fair," Izuku argued, refusing to backing down.

"I could take him even in an unfair fight. You think I couldn't?" Katsuki shot back.

"Of course, you could," Izuku sighed, rolling his eyes, "but you don't _have_ to. You don't have to do things alone all the time, you know?"

Katsuki hated that he was touched by Izuku's words. No one ever tried to help him. Katsuki had made sure of that by insisting to everyone that he was more than capable of doing things by himself. He missed having Izuku in his life. He missed being talked back to. He missed being taken care of, even if it was against his will. This quirkless kid who had no power was the only one who treated him like an equal.

Before he knew what he was doing, Katsuki grabbed the back of Izuku's neck and pressed him against the lockers in a rough kiss.

It was a first for both of them, and Katsuki had to readjust their mouths to avoid the uncomfortable clash of teeth. It was awkward and neither of them wanted to move.

Katsuki never wanted it to end. It was amazing.

He pulled away slightly for breath, chuckling lowly. "Stupid Deku," he growled affectionately, leaning back in for another kiss.

But Izuku shoved him away quickly before he could continue. "…why?" he muttered so low that Katsuki could barely hear, refusing to look him directly in the eyes. "Why do you have to just rub it in my face like that?"

He ran away without another word.

Katsuki stared blankly at the floor, jaw set tight. He noticed absentmindedly that Izuku was the second person that day that he had managed to chase away still in their indoor shoes.

He sighed. He didn't know why he thought that kissing Izuku would've been a good idea. He shouldn't have gotten swept up in the moment like an idiot. It was painfully obvious to Katsuki now that Izuku was just too nice to tell him how disgusted he was by Katsuki's feelings. It was the second time that Katsuki had gotten rejected by him, and he finally got the message. Katsuki hated being looked down on like that. It made him sick to his core.

Izuku hadn't helped fend off that shitty extra because he liked Katsuki back. That idiot was always trying to help people, no matter who they were. He got involved in people's business all the time, even getting beat up for getting into things that he should've stayed away from. Katsuki liked that about him, but he also hated it. He wished that Izuku's kindness toward him meant something special, something more than it did for all the others, but Izuku only treated him that way because he treated _everyone_ that way. If Izuku had a quirk, he would've been the perfect hero. He saw the good in everyone, even in someone like Katsuki.

Little did Katsuki know that in less than a year, Izuku would acquire the most powerful quirk of all and that this weak little nobody that had always followed behind him would shoot ahead of him in every way possible.

* * *

Going to UA High School was one wake-up call after another for Katsuki. He got into the school of his dreams, but so did Izuku. He won first place in the Sports Festival, but it didn't even mean anything because his opponent hadn't taken him seriously and had declared Izuku his rival instead. The taste of victory sat bitter in his mouth. No matter what he achieved, it seemed like Izuku was right there with him, taunting him like he always had.

To make it all worse, the League of Villains saw Katsuki's victory on TV and then thought for some reason that just because he was anger-prone and foul-mouthed that he would make a good villain. It was embarrassing just how easily they were able to kidnap him. If only Katsuki had been able to get out of there sooner, then maybe All Might wouldn't have fallen.

The Symbol of Peace, the hero that Katsuki had looked up to ever since he was a child, was no longer able to fight. All because of Katsuki. It was all his fault.

He failed his provisional license exam. He wasn't allowed to find a work study like everyone else. Izuku and all his classmates kept getting ahead of him. It was his fault. It was all his fault.

And then, everything finally clicked. Really, for someone who watched Izuku as much as Katsuki did, he should have figured it out sooner. Katsuki realized with a sudden surge of jealousy exactly _who_ Izuku had gotten his quirk from: All Might. Izuku had been _chosen_ by All Might.

That was the final straw.

Katsuki felt himself cracking, his feelings of inferiority built up, ready to explode. What did Izuku have that he didn't have? Why had the person that Katsuki looked up to the most chosen _Izuku_ of all people? Why was Katsuki never good enough? Izuku was just a weak loser, right? He was someone that Katsuki had wanted to protect more than anything once. He's not sure if he ever stopped wanting that. But Izuku didn't want him back. He was never going to.

Katsuki wasn't good enough.

Desperate to prove that he could beat Izuku at _something_, he challenged Izuku to a fight at Ground Beta. Izuku understood what he needed and fought him right back, not holding back even a little. Katsuki channeled all of the complicated feelings of love and envy that he felt for Izuku into every hit.

And in the end, Katsuki won.

It was exactly what he needed. He needed some kind of victory. He needed some kind of release.

Even if Izuku never felt the same way, they had been best friends once, and they could be friends again. Izuku was straight. He would never love him back; Katsuki knew that. He had no right to be angry at him for that. So it was time to let go. He would focus on being a better hero and a better person. Maybe he would find some other guy to love.

In the aftermath of his victory, he looked down at the bruised and battered object of his affection pinned underneath him. He saw the physical repercussions of all that he'd been holding inside laid out before him, and he promised himself: he would let it all go.


	2. Izuku

**Misunderstood Kisses**

Summary: Katsuki thought he had been very clear in confessing his feelings to Izuku when they were children, but for some reason Izuku kept rejecting him. It takes them both years to realize that it was all just a misunderstanding.

Here it is: the final chapter I promised! Let me know how you like it! It turned out a tad spicier than I had originally planned. Stay tuned for more bakudeku fics in the future!

* * *

**Chapter 2: Izuku**

"Something's wrong with Kacchan!" Izuku declared.

Uraraka and Iida both looked up from their lunch, stopping mid-bite, and looked across the room at Katsuki in alarm.

Katsuki was sitting with Kirishima and Kaminari instead of by himself like he usually did. He was smirking as the other two laughed hysterically at something that he'd said.

"What do you mean, Deku?" Uraraka asked him. "He seems fine."

"Lately he hasn't been his normal self," Izuku insisted. "See!" He pointed, and they looked again. This time Katsuki wasn't smiling as the others were still laughing and talking excitedly around him. Otherwise, he seemed perfectly calm. To anyone else, he might've even seemed bored. Izuku didn't like it.

Something about Katsuki had changed, and Izuku couldn't quite figure out what it was. Ever since their fight at Ground Beta, Katsuki seemed to be treating everyone in class a little bit nicer, which was great, but he also seemed a little more distant, a little sadder and quieter. Katsuki was usually the type to scream and complain if he was upset about something, so it was weird and unlike him.

Uraraka and Iida both glanced at each other with concerned looks on their faces and then back at Izuku.

"He does seem different," Uraraka admitted slowly, "but I actually think he seems more pleasant to be around lately. He and Kirishima seem to be getting along especially! They're attached at the hip most days." A little spark of jealousy lit up inside Izuku at the mention of Kirishima, but he ignored it.

"It's nice that Bakugou's finally making friends," Iida agreed with Uraraka. "Maybe he took that loss at the provisional license exam to heart."

"He's definitely been pushing himself to be a more caring hero since then," Izuku agreed, "but that's not really what I'm talking about though."

"Then what is it?" Uraraka asked, tilting her head to the side.

"He seems… sad," Izuku said, still staring wistfully in Katsuki's direction.

Both Uraraka and Iida turned again in sync to look at Katsuki. Katsuki was yelling at someone at the table next to them, flipping them off with both of his fingers as he fully lost his temper.

"… sad?" Uraraka asked skeptically.

"He looks like a brute as usual to me, Midoriya," Iida said, shaking his head disapprovingly at the fuss that Katsuki was making. "I might have to step in as class president if he doesn't calm down, in fact."

"He's not just a brute," Izuku insisted. "He's just bad at expressing himself. He gets upset easily, sure, but he's never mean for no reason. I mean, everyone thought he was being an asshole for picking on you at the Sports Festival, Uraraka, but he wasn't picking on you at all! He was fighting you like an equal!"

"That's very true. I _do_ think he's a good guy," Uraraka agreed. "I just haven't noticed him being sad lately."

"I can just _feel_ it, Uraraka," Izuku said. "Maybe I should talk to him about it."

"You know him better than anyone else, I suppose," Uraraka conceded with a shrug, taking another big bite of her rice.

Iida shook his head. "I may not know Bakugou that well, but something tells me that he won't like you bringing it up."

Izuku was well aware. Anything he did would most likely result in Katsuki pushing him away even more. That's what always seemed to happen between them. "I know," Izuku said, "but I have to do _something_."

He couldn't explain to them exactly how much Katsuki meant to him. All Might had always been his favorite hero, sure, but he had always seemed like an unobtainable dream. He was _everyone's_ hero. Katsuki, on the other hand, had been a very real presence in Izuku's life since they were in diapers. When Izuku began writing his hero analysis journals, they had mostly been about Katsuki. Izuku had watched him grow day by day, this boy so full of power and righteousness. He was Izuku's image of a real hero. He was everything that Izuku wanted.

Some people easily misinterpreted their relationship and dismissed Katsuki as a bully, but it wasn't like that. Katsuki pushed Izuku to be better, and Izuku pushed him right back. They understood each other on a level that most people couldn't.

His heart jumped and twisted as he watched Katsuki from across the room. Then he realized what was happening and quickly looked away.

He willed his heartbeat to slow down. He thought he was over feeling like that about Katsuki. He didn't indulge in romantic thoughts of any kind anymore, because they almost always led back to his childhood friend. It was only meant to be a short-lived middle school fantasy, nothing more. He'd stamped out those feelings almost as soon as they came.

More accurately, Katsuki had stomped on those feelings himself. Izuku remembered the time in middle school when Katsuki had somehow found out about Izuku's little crush and fake kissed him just to laugh in his face and call him stupid. Even in elementary school, Izuku hadn't even known that he was bisexual yet, and then suddenly one day Katsuki had declared him weak and gay and said he'd be better off as a wife. It was like Katsuki looked at him and could just sense what he was feeling, so Izuku tried not to feel at all.

'He's never mean for no reason,' Izuku had said. He thought back to that kiss and wondered if he was wrong. He had never been able to wrap his mind around why Katsuki had been so cruel that day. It didn't match with his image of Katsuki at all.

"Excuse me, it's time I intervene," Iida said politely as he stood up from their table. He marched over to where Katsuki was still making a scene to break up the fight.

"Hey, Deku," Uraraka said with a slight pink to her cheeks. "You're a good guy for caring about your friend so much."

"Thanks, Uraraka," Izuku said. Her compliment hadn't quite succeeded in making him feel better.

"Do you… do you want to hang out with me later tonight?" she asked him in a trembling voice, her whole face turning an even darker shade. "Maybe we can talk about it?"

Izuku didn't notice. "Sorry," he said, not taking his eyes off of Katsuki. "I've got homework tonight." Izuku was going to look through all of his hero analysis books for some kind of answer about Katsuki's behavior. He was tired of sitting back and doing nothing.

Even if Katsuki pushed him away, Izuku wasn't going to let him.

* * *

Later that night, Izuku got up to go to the bathroom. He didn't even bother to put on a shirt before he left his room and padded down the hallway in his All Might pajama pants, rubbing his eyes sleepily. The UA campus was quiet and dark. It was a week day, so everyone should have been long asleep.

As he neared the end of the hallway, however, he heard a bunch of voices coming from the common area. Izuku peeked around the corner, shielding his eyes from the light. Kaminari, Mineta, Kirishima, Sero, Shoji, and Ojiro all sat around one of the tables playing a card game. Izuku's eyes widened when he spotted the back of Katsuki's head as well. Katsuki usually went to bed really early and avoided large groups at all costs, so Izuku was surprised to see him with them.

"C'mon, man, it's your turn!" whined Kaminari. "We told you all about us, so tell us about you!"

"Yeah!" Mineta insisted with a deranged look in his eyes. "Share your exploits with us! Ever been with a girl who had really big boobs? Describe it in detail."

Kirishima looked over at Katsuki. "Quit being so pushy, guys. You know that Bakubro doesn't like talking about that kinda thing."

"I bet he's banged so many older chicks. Man, the cool guys get all the ladies, it's not fair," Sero sighed.

"I bet he's a virgin just like the rest of us," Mineta snapped.

"Speak for yourself," Ojiro scoffed quietly, his tail waving in displeasure at Mineta's attitude.

Shoji and Kirishima looked at each other and sighed.

"As if!" Katsuki growled, setting down several cards on the table. "Like I care about girls, anyway."

"You saying you're gay?" Mineta laughed mockingly.

"Not that it's any of your business," huffed Katsuki, ignoring everyone's stares.

Everyone in the room froze. Izuku couldn't breathe, suddenly wide awake.

"Whoa, that's so manly of you to admit, Bakubro!" said Kirishima, a big smile blooming on his face.

"Wait… you're serious?" Kaminari exclaimed in disbelief.

"I've got nothing to hide. You saying there's something I should be ashamed about? Haaa? Die!" Katsuki growled. "Your turn next! Hurry up, I don't have all night."

As the conversation turned back to their card game, Sero suddenly spotted Izuku and waved. "Oh, hey, Midoriya! What's up? You wanna hang too? You left before we could invite you today."

Izuku gulped as Katsuki turned around and two piercing red eyes looked directly at him. The expression on Katsuki's face was strange. "Uh, no thanks. Just heading to the bathroom," Izuku said with a nervous chuckle. "You guys have a good night!"

"Hey, Bakugou, who in our class is your type? I've gotta know!" Kaminari exclaimed, turning back to Katsuki.

Izuku still couldn't quite believe what he was hearing. He said he was going to leave, but he couldn't get his legs to work again until he heard Katsuki's answer.

Katsuki scoffed and finally averted his eyes away from Izuku. "Fuck off! Like I'd like any of _you_ shitty extras. I have standards."

While Katsuki was busy threatening to blow everyone to smithereens and everyone was distracted, Izuku finally slipped away toward the bathroom. For some reason, he couldn't stand to hear any more.

Maybe Uraraka and Iida were right. Maybe Katsuki _was_ enjoying himself and finally opening up to people, just not to him.

Izuku didn't notice the look on Katsuki's face when he left. Kirishima frowned and looked between the two of them, the only one in the room who saw what had just happened.

* * *

Izuku's leg bounced nervously. He kept glancing at the clock on the wall. Any second now. The lesson was going to end any second now, then he would do it. He wouldn't take no for an answer.

Finally, after what seemed like ages, Aizawa tiredly said "class dismissed," and everyone jumped out of their seats.

"Kacchan!" Izuku shouted a little too abruptly. Some of the other surrounding students turned to look at him in surprise. He ignored them.

Katsuki turned around in the seat right in front of him. "What do you want, nerd?"

"Spar with me. Tonight. After dinner." It wasn't a question. The last time they'd had a big fight, Katsuki had opened up to him. Izuku was going to make him do it again. Maybe then he could figure out what had happened between them. Maybe then he could make sense of what he'd overheard. He hadn't gotten a wink of sleep since that night. He was beginning to feel a little desperate.

"Why would I wanna do that? I've got plans with Kirishima later," Katsuki grumbled.

"Tomorrow then," Izuku insisted stubbornly. "You've been avoiding me, and that needs to end."

"Not everything is about you, shithead," Katsuki said tiredly, shrugging his bag onto his shoulder.

"C'mon, Kacchan," Izuku stepped in front of him as he tried to leave. "You're a lot of things, but you're not a liar. Just be honest with me. Tell me what's going on."

"Like hell. Just leave me alone." Katsuki pushed past him and out the door before Izuku could get another word in.

Kirishima walked up to Izuku and clapped him on the shoulder.

"Hey, Midoriya. What was that about?" he asked.

"Oh, uh, nothing," Izuku stammered, not really sure how to explain himself.

"You've noticed how sad he is lately too, huh?" Izuku's head snapped up quickly to look at Kirishima properly. Finally, someone who believed him.

"Yes! Yes! I've been trying to get him to talk to me!" Izuku said excitedly. Then he realized who he was talking to and shook his head. "You're his closest friend lately. Maybe… maybe you should do it."

Izuku thought about the time when they all went to save Katsuki from the League of Villains, and he'd told Kirishima to hold out his hand to Katsuki instead of him. He knew even back then that Katsuki would listen to Kirishima more than himself. Izuku sighed heavily. Maybe he wasn't what Katsuki needed right now.

"You really care about him, don't you?" Kirishima asked, his eyes flashing as he searched Izuku's expression for something.

Izuku nodded.

Kirishima grinned wide, showing all of his pointed teeth. "Meet me later tonight. I've got an idea about how to help him."

* * *

After dinner, Izuku made his way through a part of the UA campus that he had never really been to before. Kirishima had said to meet him there, but Izuku wasn't really sure why. It seemed like the hallway was mostly full of extra training rooms for the older students to use during their free periods.

He looked around, not quite sure what he was doing there, and hoped that whatever Kirishima had planned would work to make Katsuki feel better. Izuku was happy that Katsuki had managed to find a friend who cared about him so much. He wondered with an unavoidable twinge of sadness if the two of them were dating.

He counted down the large numbers printed on the outside of the doors until he finally arrived at the one he was looking for. Izuku took a deep breath and pushed the door open, expecting to see Kirishima's smiling face.

Instead, he saw Katsuki leaning against the wall of a completely empty room.

Katsuki instantly turned furious when he saw Izuku. "What are _you_ doing here, shitty nerd? I thought I told you that I had plans tonight."

Izuku was just as confused. "I… uh… Kirishima told me to meet him here," he explained weakly.

"Are you deaf? I told you he had plans with me today. Why would he…" Katsuki stopped and his eyes grew large. "Oh. Oh no. God damn it. Fucking shitty hair!" He ran over to the door and tried to open it. It was locked. "Ugh, I knew it. You shark-toothed bastard! Open this fucking door!"

A blast erupted from his hands and sweet-smelling smoke filled the air. However, when the smoke had finally dispersed, they were both dismayed to see that the door remained intact. They were in a UA training room after all, so Katsuki couldn't just explode the door down. The campus never would have lasted long if they didn't

"Kirishima locked us in here? W-why would he do that?" Izuku asked, brows furrowed in confusion. He had thought that Kirishima had wanted to help him.

"Hell if I know!" Katsuki shouted even though Izuku didn't quite believe him. Katsuki looked around wildly for an exit like a caged animal.

Izuku sighed. "So… do you want to talk _now_, then?"

"No!" Katsuki yelled, throwing his full body weight at the door.

"C'mon, Kacchan," Izuku sighed. He grabbed Katsuki's hand to get him to turn around. "Don't shut me out. I don't know what I did, but I'm sorry."

Katsuki finally turned and looked at him with an unreadable expression. "You didn't do anything, Izuku," he said so softly that Izuku couldn't believe he was talking to the right person. The lack of a nickname made Izuku's breath almost stop. "Just… leave me alone." Katsuki slid down the wall to sit on the ground, hunching over and putting his head in his hands. He didn't seem angry anymore, he just seemed… resigned to something. It was worse than Izuku could've imagined.

"I can't accept that!" Izuku insisted, still standing. "Fight me. Call me Deku. Tell me how annoying I am. Just… let it out. I can take it."

"Stop trying to fucking save me like you always try to save everyone," Katsuki said with a grimace. "You really don't understand what this is even about, do you? Have I not made it more than clear a hundred times?"

"What?" Izuku sputtered. "No! Is this because I've been doing a little better than you in class lately? Because if we spar then I can show you this technique that I'm pretty sure will help you improve the way you-"

"Stop!" Katsuki interrupted before he lost Izuku to a bout of muttering. "Why are you so fucking annoying? Just… shut up!"

Izuku stood in uncomfortable silence, before he finally sat down next to Katsuki. This was getting him nowhere. He wracked his brain for a change of subject. He settled on voicing something else that'd been bothering him, trying to act casual.

"So… you're gay, huh?" he asked. "Wow, you spend your whole life with someone, and you think you know them. I never would have guessed. Good for you!" Izuku couldn't stop himself from rambling. He hated how awkward he was being. "Do you have a boyfriend?" He wasn't sure if he wanted to hear it, but he had to know the truth. If Katsuki was happy with Kirishima, then Izuku wanted to be happy for him.

Katsuki's head snapped up in alarm. "What do you mean by _that_, you asshole?"

Izuku felt his face growing hot. He shouldn't have brought this up. "I-I didn't mean anything by it! I'm not stereotyping you or anything!" he insisted, backpedaling. "I think it's great that you're gay. Sorry, that came out weird. I just mean… I just always thought from the way you used to call me gay and weak and stuff that you were kinda… homophobic."

Katsuki grabbed his arm suddenly, gripping it tight. The look in his eyes was murderous. "Is _that_ what you thought I was doing?"

"Did you not tell me because you thought I'd judge you?" Izuku asked, trying so desperately to find the right words to say that he didn't quite register what Katsuki was saying. "I would never push you away like that. I don't want to lose you!"

Katsuki looked like he'd been slapped. "Are you _kidding_ me?" he roared, his voice cracking. "You're the one who always kept pushing me away! Over and over again! And then as soon as I focus on other people for once, you go crazy and demand that I pay attention to you. Fuck you! You don't wanna lose me? You never had me! You never wanted to!"

Izuku was taken aback. He had no idea what Katsuki was talking about. They may have had a strained relationship for most of their lives, but Izuku had still always thought of him as a friend. How could he say that Izuku didn't want him when it had always been exactly the opposite? He'd wanted Katsuki in his life so much sometimes it hurt.

He grabbed Katsuki's head in both his hands and pressed a harsh kiss to his lips, desperate to show Katsuki just how much he meant to him.

Katsuki grunted in surprise but didn't pull away. Izuku could almost swear he felt Katsuki kissing back tentatively…

Izuku pulled away in horror at what he'd done. He tried to push the feelings back down again, but the place where he had always hidden them deep down inside felt like it was too small to contain them anymore.

"What the fuck was that?" Katsuki exploded. "You can't just suddenly… after all this time… What is _wrong_ with you?"

"I'm sorry…" Izuku sobbed, putting his face in his hands to hide his shame. He wished he could just run away like the last time they kissed.

"Why did you do that?" Katsuki asked. Izuku had expected to hear pure rage in his voice, but instead, Katsuki was back to wearing that same unreadable expression that drove Izuku crazy.

"I… I don't know. I don't understand why _you_ kissed _me_." As he said the words, Izuku realized that he had never asked Katsuki why he had done it all those years ago. "That time in middle school, was it all just a joke to you?"

"That's my line!" Katsuki yelled. "I don't fucking get you."

Izuku glared right back at him. "I understand that just because you're gay, it doesn't mean that you can ever like me back, but you shouldn't have kissed me unless you meant it. I can't-"

Katsuki pulled him in by his shirt and shoved their mouths together.

"You… idiot…" he said in between kisses. "I told you I liked you… all the way back in fucking… elementary school!"

Izuku pushed Katsuki down on the floor and climbed on top of him, grabbing both of his wrists and pinning them to the linoleum to stop the assault on his mouth long enough that he could argue back. "No, you didn't!"

"Yes, the fuck I did!" Katsuki shouted, struggling against Izuku's grip angrily. "I asked you to marry me!"

Izuku let out a sharp, sarcastic chuckle. "… you mean the time you called me weak and said I was better off as a wife?"

Katsuki was struck dumb and stopped struggling. He had always remembered being proud of his little confession speech. "I didn't say it like that," he insisted stubbornly.

"You did!" Izuku laughed.

"Well what about when I kissed you in middle school? You just told me not to rub my gayness in your face and ran off," Katsuki shot back, determined to prove that he was right.

"You laughed at me and called me stupid when you did it," Izuku said, beaming in awe at the realization that he'd misunderstood the meaning of that kiss this entire time. "I didn't think you were serious. I thought you were making fun of me for being bisexual!"

Katsuki's eyes widened and his brain short-circuited. "You… you're…? How the fuck would I have known that?"

Izuku shrugged. "I mean, I stared at you all the time, and I had an obsession with buff hero guys. It wasn't hard for people to put two and two together. I thought that… you had."

"You mean this entire fucking time we've both been into each other?" Katsuki asked, a little pissed at himself for never noticing before.

Izuku nodded shyly. "Yeah." He let go of Katsuki's wrists and slid his hands up to intertwine their fingers together. A wide grin spread across his face as he looked down at the one person who had always been there in his life.

Katsuki looked right back at him like he was the sun he needed to survive. "God damn it, I _love_ you. You stupid fuck-" Izuku leaned down and kissed him harshly, effectively shutting him up.

They stayed like that, making out and holding each other close, for a long time. Neither one of them quite believed that it was real yet, and they didn't want to stop just in case it was all a dream.

"Oh, yeah," Izuku said absentmindedly as Katsuki hovered over him, sucking on his neck, an hour later. "Why did Kirishima lock us in here? Do you really not know?"

Katsuki pulled back with a smack of his lips against Izuku's skin, scowling at the interruption. "That bastard," he huffed as he remembered his friend's betrayal. "Serves me right for actually telling someone about how I feel. I mean, he'd basically already put two and two together after I told everyone I was gay. Never would've thought he'd pull this matchmaking shit though."

Izuku grinned and leaned up to kiss Katsuki once again. "I'll have to thank him," he laughed, "if he ever lets us out of here."

Katsuki smirked. "I guess I'll just have to keep you entertained in the meantime," he growled like a threat, diving back down. Izuku groaned in approval.

Neither one of them noticed that the soft click of the door unlocking had already happened a long time ago.


End file.
